Harry Potter and the Halfa of Amity
by Shadewolf7
Summary: Danny's family is on vacation in England when they have a run in with some rather unsavory characters...
1. Of Night and Graveyards

Disclaimer: Not Mine. Well, ideas are, but the characters and settings mainly aren't. Some of the plot-points won't be, either, as I have to get it to fit... Essentially, if you recognize it from a produced or published work, it's theirs. Mainly a DP work, but in the HP universe. Kinda...

_xxxx_

Harry Potter and the Halfa of Amity

"Oooh, look, Danny! It's Big Ben°! I heard it's haunted!"

Danny groaned at his dad's comment. Jack Fenton was absolutely crazy about ghosts--or, more particularly, hunting them. That's why Danny sometimes found it difficult to be his father's son.

Jack gave the impression of being Amity Park's most idiotic and amiable citizen. While this was not necessarily a bad thing, his idiocy did not extend to his design specs and most of his ghost-hunting inventions actually worked, provided there was a ghost within range.

In Danny's case, that was a very, _very_ bad thing. Neither of his parents had caught on yet, but he wasn't entirely human... almost all of his parents' inventions had a tendency to go off when Danny was around.

And two plus two is...? Of course, Jack and Maddie Fenton both believed (with good reason) that it was physically impossible to be both alive and dead at the same time. Ghosts are, by definition, dead. People, likewise by definition, are alive.

One cannot be both.

Maddie even addressed the issue of 'undead', such as vampires and zombies, but Haiti's zombie legends were based on several different drugs, one of which simulated death and another of which repressed 'free will'. Therefore, they weren't ever dead to begin with. As for vampires... Danny stopped trying to remember once it got into detailed medical history.

Danny thought over his mom's explanations for various 'horror story monsters' and privately wondered how two people who hunted _ghosts_ for a living could not believe in undead.

Then again, he wondered how they could not notice that their son was caught somewhere between dead and alive as what a ghost named 'Pointdexter' called a Halfa.

He shook off the random thoughts and forced his attention back to his father, "Dad, it's a _clock tower._ A cool, old, famous clock tower, but still a clock tower. You can't go hunting ghosts in there." Danny yawned, still a little tired from the time-change, "Besides, you'd probably have more luck in one of the old church graveyards, anyway."

Blue eyes widened in horror when the boy realized what he'd said. _Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he thought, whacking himself in the forehead. Now Jack would want to go stake out some walled-in city graveyard just to see if a ghost would show up...

_xxxx_

True to form, Jack had Danny, Jazz, and Maddie in a small, fenced-in graveyard outside the city that night, waiting for ghosts. Danny was not impressed by the use of his vacation-time, but was better off than his sister.

Jazz, while she had 'helped' Danny a few times, was not accustomed to stake-outs or long periods of time without sleep.

Maddie was humoring her husband and pulled out the Fenton Finder, which, as she was facing her son when she turned it on, announced "You would have to be some kind of moron not to notice the ghost directly ahead."

She looked up, saw Danny, and sighed. The Finder was _still_ keyed in to her son for some reason... no sign of any actual ghosts. Maddie found herself wondering if the way the ghost hunting gadgets went off near Danny had something to do with the accident with the Portal the year before. Maybe he had picked up some kind of residual ectoplasm...?

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by angry shouting--the man who maintained the graveyard had found someone in it who didn't belong.

"'Ey! W'at're ye doin' 'ere, ye vagrants!?"

_xxxx_

Old Ruben°, as the children affectionately called him, was generally considered a kind and easygoing man. The only exception to that was anyone _daring_ to trespass in the cemetery after hours.

He'd been sitting by the fire in his little house when he noticed the lights bobbing around in the older section of the cemetery. The area's children no longer intruded that far into the hallowed ground--kind old Ruben was _scary_ when crossed--and he was immediately angered by the notion that someone could be desecrating the resting places of those who no longer had family left to mourn them.

He put on his coat and boots and stalked out into the night, not bothering with a torch° or lantern.

He felt the faint beginnings of fear when he saw the shapes standing in a circle, disregarding all graves and talking in low voices. All of them were wearing black robes with masks.

The only thing Ruben thought was that this was some kind of occult meeting, one which he might be better off ignoring. The lights they carried varied slightly in color, bobbing at the end of sticks in their hands, certainly not something you could buy at most stores.

But he had been entrusted with the safety of the cemetery, and steeled himself to act. He burst out of the bushes, yelling, hoping to frighten them off. If it was just a bunch of teenagers in a cult, it might have worked.

"'Ey! W'at're ye doin' 'ere, ye vagrants!?"

Almost as one, the circle turned to face him, sticks pointing at him like weapons. One of the robed people spoke, and a green light flashed from the end of his stick.

That green light was the last thing a mortal Ruben ever saw.

_xxxx_

Jazz immediately wanted to leave when the shout was heard--apparently visitors weren't welcome after hours--and Danny was inclined to agree. He hadn't kept his secret as long as he had just to blow it in some graveyard in Great Britain when one of his Dad's inventions auto-targeted him.

A flash of green light caught the Fenton family's attention.

It looked a lot like the green of Danny Phantom's ecto-blasts.

Jack immediately wanted to go up there and find the ghost and Maddie wasn't far behind. Danny and Jazz exchanged glances and followed.

Danny, being half ghost, could see much better than any of the other members of his family in the dark. He spotted the robed figures and the body long before his parents did and got an instant 'bad feeling' about the entire situation.

He darted forward and deliberately tripped himself, falling and rolling strait into his father's legs, sending the huge man sprawling just as another jet of the green light passed through where Jack's chest had been.

Danny phased out from beneath his dad--there was no time for subtleties--and shouted, "Mom! Dad! Run!"

Maddie didn't question--these weren't ghosts, whatever they were, and they _were_ dangerous. She hauled Jack back to his feet and bolted, attempting to herd her children in front of her.

Jazz was perfectly willing to lead the retreat, but Maddie lost sight of Danny and couldn't spot him.

There was another flare of green light to the rear, this one not predecessed by a shout, and there was a pained yell from the behind.

Maddie shoved Jazz and Jack in front of her, intending to go back for Danny, but there was a popping sound and suddenly one of the robed figures was blocking the way back to their rental.

"Danny! Front!" Jazz screamed, startling both her parents.

"On it!"

Green light shot over Maddie's shoulder and hit the figure in the chest, destroying the odd stick-like weapon it held and throwing it back.

Maddie spun, thinking that more of the people/things were behind them, but only saw Danny, a faint glow dying from somewhere near his hand.

"Danny?" she asked.

"Later, Mom--Jazz! Get Mom and Dad back to the car; I'll hold them off!"

"Daniel Fenton!" Maddie half-shouted, "You'll do no such thing! You're no match for them!"

Danny wasn't in the mood to debate, and he got a strange almost-itch on the edge of his senses, like but not like his ghost sense going off.

Suddenly the Fentons were surrounded by black-robed figures with raised 'sticks'.

Several of the figures shouted, multi-colored blasts of light issuing from their weapons, and Danny spun, focusing hard.

He slammed up his ecto-shield, as strong as he could manage in human form, and the blasts rebounded at odd angles, some hitting the robed figures. One crackling red beam even refracted all the way around to hit one of those on the other side.

"What the _hell?_" one of the robes--now proven to be human with British accent--yelped.

Jack and Maddie were equally confused. "Danny?"

"Oh, crap," he gasped, surprised at how much strength it took to maintain the shield from multi-directional attacks. It was hard enough just to _make_ a dome shield... "I can't hold it like this!"

"Danny?" Jazz said warily, "Uh, probably not a good time to point this out, but... we're kind of surrounded."

"I noticed that, Jazz! I'm gonna blast a way clear and cover our backs--just concentrate on getting back to the car! Going Ghost!" He turned, transforming in a brief blaze of light, throwing a half-dozen ecto-blasts past his family towards the waiting circle, then dropped the shield on that side.

"Go!"

Jazz latched on to her parents' arms and dragged for all she was worth, pulling them both into stumbling runs. They could see fairly well with the glow from Danny's ghost form, not to mention the blasts of green light.

"Reductio!" one of the robed (people?) figures cried from behind, and Danny jumped in to take the blow just as his mother looked back.

He was slammed up against a gravestone, which shattered, and a ring of light appeared around his waist.

It split and ran up and down his body, leaving him human and battered against the rubble.

The robes were now focused solely on Danny, ignoring the others as insignificant, and several jets of light shot at her boy.

"Danny!"

None of them hit.

The robes were looking around, confused, when several balls of glowing energy erupted from the air, smashing their weapons and throwing them back, then Danny was urging his family forward, holding on to all three--well, his parents. Jazz kept a hand on his arm on her own--and making them invisible.

They were halfway back to the car when Danny stumbled, "I can't hold it anymore," he whispered. "Keep going and be as quiet as you can..."

They managed to make it to the car, Jack getting into the driver's seat and Maddie and Jazz scrambling in almost as fast. Danny, tired as he was, was slower.

Movement from behind, a sense of danger--

"Avada Kedavra!"

_xxxx_

_Big Ben--anyone who doesn't know, a famous clock in London._

_Ruben is mine. I haven't given him much of a character, although I did make up a background and personality for him just in hopes of making him seem more 'solid'. He doesn't need much character to be immediately killed._

_'torch' refers to an electric torch, or 'flashlight' as they are generally known in the U.S. I am an American, maintain that I am an Alaskan, but I'm trying to keep the dialects true to individual form. Corrections welcome._

_xxxx_

_Yes, I left it at a cliffie. I'm mean. However, I do try to have my first chapters be left as such, just to catch people's interest... you tell me if it works._

_Also tell me if I'm going OOC, as I haven't seen Danny Phantom in _ages_, since my house... essentially, gets no TV. I used to watch it with a friend of mine... about a year ago... and, even then, didn't get to see much of it._


	2. Meet Moody

_DX fanatic--Just in case there's any confusion... I'm a girl. Glad you liked my little cliffie._

_crazychick6692--Thanks. I appriciate the compliment and promise to try and continue._

_Quacked Lurker--Don't worry, I _do_ try to keep language in character. Meaning, if it isn't an _extremely_ stressful situation, and usually if it is, I try not to use anything that wouldn't be used in the books/movies/shows I steal the characters from._

_Also, I do not answer signed reviews on the top of a chapter, I answer them with the 'review reply' button. Don't be insulted. And I don't always answer unsigned reviews. Oh, and I shamelessly admit to already having had this chapter written... I was planning on posting only if intrest was shown, which it was._

_xxxx_

_Here's chapter two! Don't mind me, I'm just the one typing. I have nothing to do with anything..._

_xxxx_

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

Danny whirled to face the shout just in time for the blast of green light to hit him in the chest.

For a brief instant, nothing seemed to happen, then his vision exploded in green-white lightning, the curse rippling through every fiber of his being, searching for the blazing core of his life-force, seeking to rip his soul from its moorings... And it encountered the chill green gleam that snapped up to surround that which it sought.

The curse-energy faltered as Danny found himself falling backwards, intangible, through the car door. A lack of heartbeat later, the curse shattered, leaving behind numbing pain.

Danny curled up on himself, pulling his legs through the door and turning solid again, barely aware of his sister's shouts or the poor, abused rental car tearing down the empty country road.

Inside the car was pandemonium. Jazz was trying franticly to get her brother's attention while Jack and Maddie were demanding to know what was going on.

Finally Jazz cracked. "ENOUGH!" she screamed, stunning both her parents into silence. She turned her semi-panicky attention back to her little brother, "Danny? Please, Danny, talk to me. Are you OK?"

The stunned silence changed to worried when the elder Fentons realized their son wasn't responding.

Jazz reached out, touching him, cringing at the icy chill of his skin. "H-he's not breathing--" her fingers franticly sought out the pulse-point on his throat.

It was still.

Jazz gave a gasping sob and pulled Danny's head into her lap. "Danny, Danny... no, please..."

Danny was listening from a dark place with a distinct sense of detachment, unable to place the voice's owner.

Jack hit the breaks, he and Maddie both asking what was wrong.

Jazz was bordering on hysterical, not her usual, cool self. "I can't find a pulse, oh god, he's dead... he can't be dead. He can't be!"

The detachment broke when he heard another voice say 'Jazz'.

_Jazz. Sister. The other two--Mom and Dad. Worried--did she say I'm _dead? Danny wondered, then he realized his heart wasn't beating normally. That seemed to be a side-effect of being half ghost. He could 'stop' his heart without ill effects--really just slowing it until it was nearly undetectable--and his body did it automatically to conserve energy in times of extreme physical stress.

With a mental groan, Danny forced his heartbeat and breathing back to normal, almost regretting the choice as his chest informed him of broken ribs and other damage.

The relief that flooded the car made it worth it, at least until Jazz moved to hug him.

He tried and failed to go intangible, managing a whisper past the sudden spike in pain. "Please--hurts--broken ribs."

"Oh, Danny, I'm sorry," Jazz gasped, pulling back quickly.

Danny looked around somewhat blearily, "We shouldn't be stopped..."

Jack reluctantly started up the car, not sure what to say, as Maddie twisted around to look at her son. "Danny, honey... we're going to take you to the hospital."

Danny shook his head violently, "No! N-no hospitals!"

This time it was Jazz who spoke up, "Danny... your heart stopped and you weren't breathing..." she couldn't hide the slight tremor in her voice.

Danny slumped back, "That's normal... for me, anyway. Look, I'll explain everything... but can we please just go back to the hotel? I'll be fine."

Jack cast a glance at his boy in the mirror as Jazz snorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, sure you will. If by 'fine' you mean broken bones and probably a concussion."

"I don't have a concussion," Danny groaned, "and this is hardly the first time I've had a few cracked ribs, Jazz. I'll be _fine._ In the morning I'll be sore, but that's _all._"

Jack and Maddie exchanged confused and guilty glances. He'd come home with _broken bones_ and they hadn't noticed?

"Danny--" his parents caught themselves speaking in unison.

"No hospitals," he insisted.

The parents caved. "All right... but let us take a look at you before you go to sleep."

Danny closed his eyes and nodded. "Deal..."

_xxxx_

The last report from Severus Snape was somewhat worrying... American Muggles had interrupted the last Death Eater meeting and one of them--a teenage boy--apparently had _extremely_ powerful magical talents. He'd created a shield that deflected _all_ curses thrown its way.

Avery was dead from a _rebound_ on the Killing Curse.

Snape hadn't been able to see the entire thing, as he had Apparated out to the Muggles' transportation during the confusion, but he'd seen the boy get hit by _Avada Kedavra_ and fall into the car, still blinking.

That was... impossible. This boy _had_ to be found.

Before Voldemort found him first.

_xxxx_

"At first, it was because I didn't want you to freak out," Danny explained, voice laced with exhaustion as he stared at the battered red motel carpet. "Well, that, and I was kind of hoping it would go away."

He shrugged self-consciously, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Then you guys saw me and said something about 'dissecting' and... I know it's irrational, but I was kinda... scared of you."

Maddie looked horrified; Jack was simply confused.

"Danny, we would _never_--"

Danny cut in smoothly, "Hurt me, I know. I really do. But by the time I realized that, it just wasn't safe to tell you."

Now both parents were baffled, "But you just said..." Jack trailed off questioningly.

"Safe for you," Danny clarified. "I've got some pretty spiteful enemies... one of them tried to kill Jazz when he found out she knew. As long as you didn't know, you were more-or-less safe. At least from Plasmius."

"Danny," Maddie watched her son's face for any hint of what he might be thinking, "I _do_ wish you'd said something, but I can understand why you didn't... except, why did you think we would be upset with you when it happened?" There was a slight pause, "What _did_ happen?"

"Not upset _with me,_" Danny muttered, then staggered slightly and quickly dropped down into one of the overstuffed armchairs, blinking wearily. The voices of his family members seemed to fuzz together as they asked if he was all right.

He shook his head slightly, attempting to clear his thoughts, "I'm fine. I... uh... do you guys remember when you first set up the Ghost Portal?"

Jack brightened at the mention of one of his inventions, but Maddie frowned.

"Of course. We set it up and plugged it in, but it didn't seem to be working."

"Yeah! But when we went back down later, it was on! It must have taken some time to charge or something."

Danny glanced at his dad, bemused. At least his mom seemed to be figuring out where this was headed.

"You didn't turn it on before you plugged it in..." he shivered, remembering the fear and agony of the accident. "And you put the 'on' button _inside the portal._"

"I _knew_ there was a switch somewhere!" Jack paused, "Waiiit a minute... if the 'on' button's inside, how'd it get turned on?"

Danny face-palmed.°

_xxxx_

Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody was not, perhaps, the most... _comforting_ person to have sent to find this mysterious boy, but he _was_ one of the best.

And whoever that American teen was, he _had_ to be found.

Moody had, with the aid of Dumbledore, found the boy's location--a small, beat-up motel on the outskirts of London--and headed out immediately, warning Madame Pomfrey that she might have someone coming in soon.

As the paranoid Auror had told Dumbledore, even if the kid had _survived_ the killing curse, there was no telling what kind of damage he'd sustained. He arrived at the motel fully expecting to be met with confused and defensive family members--parents and an older sister--but not a black-haired kid with glowing green eyes and a fist to match.

Said fist was pointed in his direction.

Moody wasn't one to scare easily, but the look in those glowing--not shining but honest-to-goodness, lit-from-within _glowing_--eyes unnerved him.

"Put your weapon down and tell me who you are and what you're doing here," the boy ordered calmly.

Moody stared in shock for a moment, but dropped his wand and stepped back when the green light intensified.

"I don't want any trouble," he barely avoided adding 'boy'. No telling what might set the kid off. "My name's Alastor Moody, and I was sent to find you before the Death Eaters could figure out you're still alive."

"'Death Eaters?'"

Moody grunted affirmative, mildly amused at the kid's raised eyebrow, "Black robes, masks, god-forsaken evil bastards..."

The look he received from all three of the older people said the language was not appreciated.

"The ones from the graveyard." Not a question. "Why should I trust you?"

Moody felt a glimmer of honest liking for this kid, "Good! Very good! Constant vigilance! Keeps you alive. Dumbledore sent me."

"Who's Dumbledore?"

Moody felt a very odd urge to slap his forehead, "Of course, you've never heard of the Wizarding World."

The green glow dimmed and the fist lowered slightly, a look of thoughtfulness on his face.

Danny _had_ heard of the Wizarding World--his evil not-going-to-be future self had destroyed it along with everything else, according to Clockwork. On one of the few days where there were no ghost attacks, he's gone to the Time Master's lair and asked about it.

"I remember now," Danny said finally, "Clockwork said something about you guys and told me some of the larger schools and their headmasters. Hogwarts is Dumbledore, and it's one of the top-ranking magic schools in the world. Old Grindelwald's pretty bitter about Dumbledore taking him down..." Danny grimaced as he remembered his brief encounter with _that_ ghost as he passed its lair. Not that Grindelwald's ghost was particularly strong--quite the opposite. He ranked with the Box Ghost in power and Skulker and Vlad combined in arrogance and annoyance properties.

Moody couldn't remember the last time he'd been dumbstruck. The boy--who supposedly only knew of the Muggle world--somehow knew about Dumbledore and it sounded like he knew Grindelwald, who was supposed to be dead.

Danny finally lowered his hand completely, powering down the ecto-blast and letting his eye color return to normal, "I'll give you a chance. You come with me to Clockwork, and if he says you're OK, I'll trust you."

Jazz glanced up, startled, "You've learned that trick?"

Danny nodded, "I've been working on it, and teleportation. Mom, Dad, I'll be back in a little while." He turned to Moody, "Come on."

Moody wasn't sure what to expect when the boy caught his wrist, but whatever it was, the bright flash and swirling green light wasn't it.

He found himself hanging from a strong, white-gloved grip in a shifting green abyss, strange doors littering the air above, below, and around him.

He cast a glance up at the boy keeping him from falling, expecting jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt, black hair, and blue or glowing green eyes.

The only familiar things about the one holding him were the face shape, hair style, and glowing green eyes.

The hair was stark white and the person holding him was wearing an outlandish black suit with white insignia, gloves, belt, and boots.

The hands were _cold_, as he was just now realizing as their chill seeped through the shoulders of his nondescript gray robes, and the person-thingº holding him started to move between the doors as if he knew where he was going.

Moody couldn't tell how fast they were going, but the doors faded into a dizzying blur and he was betting it was at least as fast as a good Firebolt°.

Suddenly they slowed and a castle came into view. The one holding him slowed, then dropped him on the stone steps leading up to the door before landing himself.

"Come on," he instructed, voice very similar to the Fenton boy's, but with a distinctly echo-y quality. He knocked on the door and an old, old man answered.

Something about the oddly glowing man reminded Moody of Dumbledore.

"Danny," the old man greeted, "I see you brought Alastor with you. He was a great fighter against the last evil that insinuated itself into the Wizarding World, and is starting out to do the same with this new one. You can trust him, and that Dumbledore. Moody's a good man. Sometimes... overly paranoid, but a good man--you will be able to see when he's going about things poorly, and he will listen to you. They both will, and Dumbledore is good as well."

Danny gave a relieved smile, "Thanks, Clockwork. But you usually wait until I ask...?"

"Ah, yes, well. Time is of the essence. You must get back to your family--the Death Eaters will arrive in another two minutes. It would be best if you were there."

Danny's eyes widened, "I can't make it that fast!"

Clockwork gave an enigmatic smile, switching to the form of a young man, "I'm sure I can give you a hand in this case. TIME OUT!"

The amulet materialized around Danny's neck and Clockwork smiled, "Take this statue with you, please?" he indicated the temporarily frozen Moody, "When you arrive, time will go back to normal. And Danny?"

He paused, glancing back at Clockwork.

"Please keep my amulet with you at all times in the Wizarding World. No one will be able to take it from you by force, but you can remove it yourself... and I have a feeling you may need it."

Danny nodded, "Thanks."

_xxxx_

The next thing poor Moody knew, he was back in the motel room with a human Danny and very confused family.

Danny was explaining everything as quickly as he could and Moody wracked his still-stunned mind for a place to move these people before the Death Eaters showed.

He didn't know who--or what--Clockwork was, but Clockwork had known everything that the boy had intended to ask before a word had been spoken, so he probably knew what he was talking about when he predicted the immanent arrival of enemy forces.

Besides which, the kid obviously trusted him--and something told the Auror that boy's trust didn't come easily.

Thinking of which... "What's your name, boy?" Moody asked gruffly.

Danny glanced up, "Danny Fenton. Mom, Dad, Jazz, this is Alastor Moody. Clockwork says he's trustworthy. Moody, my mom, Maddie; dad, Jack; and sister; Jazz. Now can we _leave?_"

Moody turned. "I think I know somewhere they'll be safe."

"You'd better--we've got company! Get close to me, all of you!"

Confused, they all obeyed and Danny focused on getting them out of there. He couldn't teleport so many very far, but he could manage to get everyone out back of the motel and did.

Even that was pushing it after making two ghost portals and the earlier events of the night.

Danny fell to one knee, breathing hard and shaking.

"Danny!"

He brusquely waved them off, "Later! We've got to get out of here!"

Moody's mouth snapped shut as he swallowed a demand. The boy was right--questions could be answered later. For now, they had to survive. He pulled out the Portkey Dumbledore had given him, one that would transport them directly to the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts.

"You all need to touch this," he instructed, holding out what seemed to be a pair of opera-glasses.

"O... K" Jazz reached out and put a finger gingerly on the object, then Maddie. Jack went third as there was a shout from behind--a shout that Moody had hoped not to hear.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

Green light, aimed strait for him--

--flash of movement, curse hitting flesh--

And Danny stumbled, barely managing to reach out a hand to the pair of opera glasses before anyone else could let go.

A tug, and everyone found themselves in a very different place with the boy crumpling to the ground, not breathing.

Both Moody and a rather homely little lady seemed panicked, the woman reaching for the obvious patient only to be blocked by an angry sister.

"Don't touch him!"

The mother knelt, checking the boy's pulse and frowning as she looked up, "Jazz, his heart stopped again," she struggled to keep the tremor from her voice, "Can you tell if he's in his weird trance?" She couldn't even give voice to the alternative.

Jazz looked at her mother like she was crazy, but could see the worry underlying the otherwise 'calm' question.

"I only found out about it tonight when you did," she said shakily.

Jack looked troubled, but laid a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder, "He'll be fine."

The two magic-users glanced at each other, confused and paler than could be considered normal, the same thought in both their minds.

_He's only a boy..._

Jazz glared at nothing, "Maybe Clockwork could tell us."

"Clockwork?" Jack asked, perking up, "Is it a ghost?"

"He, Dad, not it. And yes, he is. He's the Time Master--he knows everything, and he kind of looks out for Danny sometimes." Jazz glanced at the scarred visage of the crazy-eyed man who'd shown up.

"You, Moody," she barked in a rather impressive impression of a drill sergeant, "Help me get Danny onto a bed!"

To her amusement, Moody jumped and did as he was told, levitating her little brother onto one of the hospital beds while watching her cautiously.

She smiled sweetly, "Thank you."

She glanced at her parents, who were still trying to adjust to everything that had been thrown at them in the past few hours, including magic and the fact that their son was half_ ghost_...not to mention they'd been _hunting_ him and had hurt him--badly--at least once°.

The woman--probably a nurse--was wearing forest green robes and a pointed hat and looking anxiously at Danny. "May I take a look at him, please?" she asked.

Jazz firmly interposed herself between the well-meaning witch and the bed, "No."

Danny was obscurely grateful for his sister's distant words, as he didn't have enough energy to 'snap out of it' and reassure them on his own. He made a mental note to thank her and settled back into a state of healing oblivion.

_xxxx_

_Face-palmed--in case anyone doesn't get it, generally meant dropped his head into one hand in exasperation. Much shorter, though, and shorter--better most of the time when writing._

_Firebolt--a racing broom in the HP series._

_person-thing--Moody, clever as he usually is, can't wrap his mind around Danny's ghost form. One: none of the ghosts he's encountered are remotely similar to the ones Danny usually deals with (Hogwarts' ghosts are all kind of pearly-white and transparent and none of them can touch anything on the material plane, barring the poltergeist, so I'm assuming that the strong ghosts don't hang around the wizarding world.) Two: even if he _did_ realize that Danny's ghost form was a ghost, he'd still think it was someone else's ghost, probably a family member, perhaps a twin. He, like Danny's parents believed, doesn't think that one can be both alive _and_ dead. It's a physical 'impossibility'. (He obviously doesn't know about Schrodginer's Theory)_

_As for the comment on his parents having hurt him badly at least once, I have no idea if this is true according to the series, but according to me, it's probable. They've been hunting him using pretty advanced weaponry. If the Boo-merang homes in on and hits him, it's a safe bet that some of their nastier inventions do, too. _I_ say they've hit Phantom _hard_ at least once, partially to increase the sense of guilt._

_xxxx_

_If anyone has any questions, suggestions, or comments, that's what reviews are for. I _do_ answer when they're signed. If someone brings up a valid question that may need clearing up for everyone, I'll address it at the beginning of the next chapter._


	3. Waking and Winky

_Icepaw--School is for schoolwork, silly. Don't get into trouble on _my_ account, although it is rather flattering that you were interested enough to risk being late._

_crazychick6692--Thanks_

_The Feral Candy Cane--I like your name! Very fun. And thank you for your understanding._

_tantaloo--thanks, although I have been told Clockwork is a bit OOC by others... I don't know much about Clockwork, it's all guessowrk from what I've read on FF._

_Quacked Lurker--Well, you have written the two longest reviews. I have to thank you for that, it's rather flattering. And, I shamelessly admit that I got Schrodiger's Theory from the same place, originally. And, yes. He got ice and Wail before the two mentioned earlier, but I have yet to decide if he uses the Wail in this story. Oh, right. And yes, you may use my disclaimer. You can even disclaim it if you want to! _: )

_xxxx_

_This chapter is up for suggestion and revision if anyone has good ideas that will still fit in whith the overall shape of my story._

_xxxx_

Danny woke to a mostly empty room. The only other occupants were empty beds--it looked like some sort of hospital room, barring the fact that the ceiling, walls, and floor were of some sort of brownish-gray stone.

He sat up, looking around curiously, then sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Where am I?" he asked no one in particular.

"You is in the hospital wing, in Hogwarts, sir," came a little voice from off to the side.

Startled, Danny yelped and fell through the bed.

The voice gave a horrified gasp, "Winky is sorry, sir! Winky did not mean to--"

Danny rolled out from underneath the bed and looked at 'Winky'. 'Winky' was a small, creature with brownish skin, pointy ears and large brown eyes.

"It's fine. I do that sometimes," Danny frowned slightly, lowering his voice to a mutter, "But not usually. I haven't fallen through my bed in _ages_..."

"You do, sir?"

Danny stared at Winky for a moment, "Your name is Winky, right?"

The creature, wearing a dirty dress, nodded.

"Well, Winky, you don't have to call me 'sir'. My name's Danny."

"Winky is a good house elf, sir," Winky stated firmly, "Winky would never dream of speaking disrespectfully to a wizard."

Danny sighed and climbed back on top of the bed, "Well, as long as you don't call me 'Daniel'," he said after a moment.

"You do not like that name, sir?"

Danny shook his head, "The last person to call me 'Daniel' was kinda my archenemy."

Winky's huge eyes grew wider, "Oh," she started, then stopped and pulled on her large, batlike ears, "Winky is a bad elf! Winky forgots!"

The poor thing looked so distraught that Danny started to get worried, "What is it, Winky? It's all right..."

"Winky is supposed to tells Professor Dumbledore when you woke..."

Danny shrugged nervously, "Well, I haven't been awake very long, Winky. I'm sure it would be all right if you went now."

Winky nodded tearfully and disappeared with a sharp crack.

Not long afterwards, an old man with long white hair and beard who reminded him rather forcefully of Clockwork came into the room.

"Where's my family?"

Dumbledore blinked behind his spectacles, "Ah. They are in the Great Hall, dining, I believe."

Danny nodded slightly, settling himself more comfortably against the headboard. Something told him Dumbledore intended to have a _long_ talk.

The chair the man conjured out of thin air seemed to agree.

Dumbledore sat, "Now, I would like to ask you a few questions, and I'd prefer if you answered them truthfully."

Danny shrugged, "Clockwork said I can trust you. Shoot."

The professor looked confused for a moment before nodding, "Ah. That is an... American slang term, of course. What were you doing in that graveyard last night?"

Danny made a sound somewhere between amusement and exasperation, rolling his eyes, "My Dad's obsessed with ghosts. He wanted to see if he could catch a British ghost to run some tests on."

A white eyebrow raised above twinkling blue eyes that weren't very different in shade than Danny's own. "I see. I shall have to warn the castle ghosts..."

"Are any of them evil?" at the negative answer, Danny sighed, "Warn my mom while you're at it. Dad's obsessed, but he's kind of a klutz. Mom's really good--she's even nailed _me_ once or twice."

A flash of puzzlement, but Dumbledore decided to hold off on that question. "Have you ever had contact with the Wizarding World before, Daniel?"

Danny bristled, "Don't call me 'Daniel'. It's Danny."

The poor wizard began to think that the more questions he asked, the more confused he became. And Dumbledore was not used to being confused. "Very well, Danny."

Danny relaxed, "Thanks. Sorry, but there's this guy who calls me Daniel... he wants to kill my dad, marry my mom, and make me his son... and one of his cronies is intent on hanging my pelt on his wall... or at the foot of his bed..."

"Ah." He wasn't even going to ask. Yet.

"And, no, I haven't. Well, not in _this_ timeline, anyway."

"This timeline?"

Danny shuddered, grimacing, "Please don't ask. I don't like to think about it."

"Of course," Dumbledore said kindly, "Now, for the thing that has been weighing on the minds of all of those who have heard... do you have any idea how you first deflected, then survived the Killing Curse? Twice?"

Danny blinked, tilted his head, "Killing Curse?"

"It is _'Avada Kedavra'_," Dumbledore explained carefully, "And is characterized by green light and being impossible to counter or survive. There is only one other known survivor, and that's because his mother died to protect him, the most powerful counter-charm in the world."

Danny frowned thoughtfully, "Is that what that was? It felt really... _strange_... when it hit me. It didn't _hurt_, exactly, but..." he caught Dumbledore's perplexed expression, "Anyway, yeah. I've got a pretty good idea as to why it didn't work."

The professor straitened up, blue eyes sharpening behind glass, "You do? Why?"

Danny sighed, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously, "Well, there was this accident in my parent's lab... I..." he hesitated. Telling his family had been bad enough--why on earth was he telling a total stranger?

Oh. Right. Because Clockwork had said the man could be trusted and Danny, for some inexplicable reason, trusted Clockwork. He dropped his hand into his lap and sighed again, "... I walked into their portal and accidentally turned it on... and I didn't exactly make it out alive."

_xxxx_

After Danny finished his long, convoluted tale, Dumbledore left to think.

It made sense, of course, that the Killing Curse wouldn't effect him... that particular magic can't simply kill anything that isn't alive to begin with.

Dumbledore didn't even want to think about how it was possible to be both human and ghost at the same time. Alive and dead, same body... a ghost was _all_ dead and a human _all_ alive--there was no halfway... although a now-dead Muggle scientist had once put forth the theory that if a cat was locked in a box and the air extracted from the box, there would be a brief moment in time during which the cat would be both alive and dead...

If that Schroedginer's Theory was true and Daniel had somehow been trapped in that state instead of continuing on to simple death... Well. It still shouldn't be possible, as any living body shouldn't be able to handle that kind of strain for more than a heartbeat--thus the cat only being alive and dead for an instant.

But somehow--no, he had to stop thinking about this. It was giving him a headache. Switch to the other topic, now.

The ghosts that Daniel--Danny--was accustomed to dealing with were capable of doing massive damage in the physical world, interacting with it directly.

When Dumbledore had expressed surprise and described the Hogwarts ghosts, Danny had snorted and explained the power-level system, how it sounded as if the Hogwarts ghosts were probably around Level 1.3 or so, except Peeves, who was maybe a 1.5.

If that was true... Dumbledore didn't ever want to meet up with so much as a level three.

_xxxx_

Danny sighed and flopped back against the bed, mildly glad that Dumbledore had left, but very hungry.

He thought he heard something and sat up, "Winky?" he asked, thinking it might be the timid little creature.

There came a sharp crack and she appeared. "Yes, Master Danny, sir?"

He blinked, "Sorry," he blushed, realizing she'd come when called, "I heard something and I thought it might be you."

Winky looked slightly saddened, then perked up, "Is there anything Winky can gets for you, Master Danny?"

"Well, I _am_ kinda hungry..."

Winky gave a broad smile, "Winky will get sir something to eat! What would sir like?"

Danny gave a halfhearted chuckle, "At the moment... anything that's real food."

Winky blinked her big brown eyes and vanished with a "Of course, sir!" and a sharp CRACK.

In less than two minutes, Winky was back with an armload of food--most of which Danny didn't recognize strait off. All of it was good, though.

"Thanks a lot, Winky. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Winky's eyes widened and she seemed at a loss for words. Suddenly she looked down, giving the impression of blushing under her green skin. "No, sir..."

Danny frowned slightly, but let it go. "Well, if there ever _is_ something you want, Winky, you can always come ask."

Winky looked up in surprise, then her cheeks darkened even more, "Sir is very kind, sir is... but Winky must be getting back to work, sir. Ask for Winky if you need anything, sir."

She CRACKed out of the room, obviously too flustered to wait for a reply.

Danny sat on his bed, eating slowly and thinking about the odd house elf. Not that he knew what to expect from a house elf, as he'd never even heard of them before the green creature had mentioned her race.

He kind of liked the little being.

_xxxx_

_Yes, there is a reason for Winky meeting Danny. And I like her. Suggestions, comments, and complaints welcome so long as nothing is violently worded. That is, if you want to flame me for whatever reason, do it creatively: No heavy swearing._

_This is as far as I've pre-written, and, while I _will_ finish, updates are going to be slower when I have to think up new stuff. My main problem is I haven't picked a HP book yet--so, anyone who has suggestions, shoot! Obviously after three, as we've got active Death Eaters, but it can be fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh year. I'm disregarding Dumbledore's demise, and explaining it away if anyone forces me to think something up._


	4. Little Things

_Icepaw--Back at school, are you? Well, congrat's on making class and I'm somewhere between amused and flattered that you're taking time out of your day to read and review. I warn you, though, that the 'send to profile' deal... things have _not_ been getting to me. I think it's a glitch. So if you have sent something, I don't know about it._

_The Looking Glass Tale--I hear your suggestion, but general consensus is calling for fifth year. Sorry! Maybe I'll do a sequel? No promises, and at least the beginning of this will be set during the summer months._

_Quacked Lurker--Can't be book three, I have active Death Eaters, and the majority of votes are for five. I'll figure it out, and, if you continue giving so much thought to your reviews, you'll probably help. I'll probably skip over the long, boring parts of Harry's introduction--the ones that are usually not only a pain to write, but read as well?--and have it be summerized in Danny's words after. And I'm having fun messing with Dumbledore. I don't want to portray him as a bad guy, like I've seen in some fics, but he's not infallible and I intend to make him realize this. Thank you for you reviews!_

_Sunshine--New reviewer. Hi! No, Winky doesn't have a crush on Dobby. I don't do pairings--I'm a high-functioning autistic (Aspie, if you want exact) girl who seems to have no hormones. So, I can't write it. After all, the old writer's adage is "Write what you know". Sam and Tucker will not be coming to England--I can't think of a feasable way to get them there, and I know my limits on numbers of main characters. I can barely handle six, I'm not even going to _try_ for eight._

_xxxx_

_This chapter is a bit of a 'filler'. Not much really happens, I'm afraid, as I'm trying to figure something out... If you don't like it, tell me, and I'll see if I can clean it up a bit..._

_xxxx_

Danny was unhappily, if understandably, confined to the Hospital Wing for a few days of 'observation'.

Most of his observations were of the underside of the bed, although he did once wake up to find himself half-buried in the floor. Upon that occasion, he phased himself back out, grumbling, not noticing the fact that his parents had just walked in the room.

"Argh!" he growled, pulling himself back up through the bed, "I haven't had to deal with this since last year!"

He blinked on sighting his parents, "Uh... hi?"

"Danny, are you all right?"

Danny noted his mother's concern and nodded, "Yeah... it's just annoying, that's all."

"Whatever it is, son, we'll take care of it!" Jack boomed, whipping out a Fenton Blaster.

Danny cringed, "Uh, no, Dad... it's not like that. I'm just having a few... problems... with my powers."

Jack immediately looked disappointed, "Oh." Suddenly he brightened, "Maybe we can get that ghost out of you with the Fenton--"

"Jack, honey," Maddie interrupted, seeing the alarmed look on her son's face, "He's not possessed, remember?"

"Oh. That's right..." he had the good grace to look somewhat sheepish, "Sorry, son."

Maddie turned her attention back to what Danny had said, "What kind of problems, sweetie?"

Danny shrugged uncomfortably and started sinking through the mattress. "Gah!" he snapped, "That kind. I'm having trouble controlling my intangibility and I've gone invisible by accident twice. I haven't had control problems like these since just after the accident!"

It was pretty easy to see how frustrated he was and Maddie started getting concerned, "Do you think that this has something to do with the... spell... you were hit with?"

Danny raked a hand through his hair, a soft, exasperated sound in his throat, "Maybe. I don't know. It's not like people usually have to watch for side-effects with that thing--it's supposed to kill on contact."

Both his parents looked horrified at that, and Danny realized it probably hadn't been the best thing to say.

"It's OK, really... it doesn't work on me."

Jack took him at his word, but his mother was less than amiable towards the whole situation. "Well, it obviously did _something _to you, Daniel Fenton! Your heart stopped _twice!_"

He winced. "Mom--"

"Don't 'Mom' me, young man!"

He bit back a sigh and let her rant. He supposed it was only normal that she would have been worried and she kind of deserved to get a little upset. That didn't mean he had to like it, though.

When her anger petered out, she looked like she was on the edge of an emotional breakdown, "You could have _died_, Danny..."

This time he did sigh, trying, for once, to think of what to say before actually saying it. He settled for, "I, uh, kinda already _have_, Mom... so it can't kill me _again._ From what Dumbledore said, that curse is very straightforward. It can only kill something that's 100 percent alive."

He thought about that for a moment and made a face, "Ugh. That sounded kinda morbid... Where's Jazz?""

That last little question was part 'I just noticed she's not here', part honest wondering, and part 'please pop up and use your psychology skills to tell me what's up with our parents'.

While she didn't show up and rescue him, the question was an effective topic change that got his parents thinking about something other than their son's multiple near-death experiences.

Maddie looked around, "I don't know," she admitted, slightly worried.

"I'll find her!" Jack offered, taking off for the door, "Hang on Jazzy-pants! I'll save you!"

Danny stared at the empty doorway bemusedly, then thought of something. "Winky?" he asked.

His mother looked at him oddly, "Danny, what--" she was cut off by a loud CRACK.

"Master Danny, sir? Does sir need something?" She looked eager to help.

"Hi, Winky. Do you know where my sister is?"

Winky looked a little troubled, "Winky does not know sir's sister. Will sir tell Winky what sir's sister looks like?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, "Right. Sorry. Um, long red hair, a bit taller than I am..." he trailed off as he felt a slight chill.

Maddie didn't notice and Winky wasn't sure she should comment.

"Winky thinks sir's sister is in the corridor on the fifth floor. Would sir like Winky to find her?"

Danny gave a relieved sigh, "Would you? You know, see if she's all right?"

Winky gave him a beaming smile, "Of course, sir! Winky is happy to help Master Danny!" With that she CRACKed off, presumably to the fifth floor.

Maddie blinked at the empty place that had held the grubbily dressed little creature, "Danny..." she started cautiously, "What was that?"

He looked up, "Huh? Oh. That was Winky. She's a house-elf." He was slightly distracted, looking for what might have set off his ghost sense--or, almost, anyway. Whatever it was, it couldn't be very strong...

Oh. There it was. A pearly white, translucent specter that appeared to be covered in silvery blood. Creepy, but silent and even weaker than the Box Ghost, so nothing to worry about... right?

It watched him for a few moments before drifting through the wall.

He looked back at his mother, whose expression mirrored his own. Stunned and slightly disturbed confusion.

"What was _that_ about?"

_xxxx_

Severus Snape looked up as the temperature in his already cold lab in the dungeons chilled a hair more. He gave a short nod of greeting to the Bloody Baron, Slytherin House's ghost.

The Baron was less than verbose and had no qualms about frightening the students, no matter what house they belonged to, but was loyal in his own way.

"The boy is... different," the ghost said in a low, raspy voice that tended to raise the hair on people's arms, though Snape had never been bothered by it.

That got the Potions Master's attention. "How so?"

"He could sense me before I came and knew I was there while I was invisible. He did not fear me, though my presence disturbed him."

Snape scowled, disconcerted by the news. "Is he human?"

"He breathes."

That wasn't precisely an answer, but if the Baron was being evasive, strait answers were impossible to get. "Thank you for informing me, Baron," he said instead, "I will keep an eye on him."

The Baron began to float through a wall, "That may prove difficult, Master Snape."

Dark eyes narrowed at the wall the ghost had just vanished through. What on earth was _that_ supposed to mean?

_xxxx_

Danny had, once again, been left alone in the Hospital Wing to slowly go crazy when the headmaster reappeared.

"Daniel?"

Danny glanced up sharply and Dumbledore remembered the request.

"Danny."

Danny gave a curt nod that might have meant anything, "Yeah?"

The professor decided not to beat around the bush. As far as he could tell, the boy had no patience for games. "You and your family will be in danger if the Death Eaters find out you are still alive. The situation is... sensitive. If you are seen..."

Danny considered that, "So, are you warning me because you care about what happens to my family or because you're trying to contain the damage?"

A shrewd question, but spoken lightly.

"Both. You must understand that Lord Voldemort has been attempting to find a way to make himself immortal, and you just survived the Killing Curse. You will become a target."

Danny shrugged, "So I go home through the Ghost Zone. Anything else?"

"They are searching for you with magic. Distance will not make a difference."

Danny sighed softly, "Right. And I can't go home yet, anyway... I'd set off every defense system in the house."

That was puzzling, "What do you mean?"

"My control's been off ever since I got hit by that curse," Danny confided, looking rather disgruntled, "I keep on falling through things--which I haven't done in over a year."

That brought a frown to the professor's face, "It did cause you harm, then?"

Danny shook his head, "I honestly don't know. It doesn't _feel_ like it, but then again..." he shrugged stiffly. "Maybe I should go ask Clockwork."

"Clockwork?" Dumbledore frowned, slightly concerned.

"Yeah, he's a ghost. He controls time." Despite the fact that Clockwork himself had labeled this wizard trustworthy, Danny wasn't sure it was a good idea to tell him the Time Master knew _everything._ "He usually can find out why something has happened," he added, so Dumbledore wouldn't start to question.

"I see."

Danny eyed the old wizard, "I don't think he'll help you," he said frankly, "He doesn't like to interfere."

Dumbledore shook his head, the considering gleam replaced with the customary twinkle. "Would you and your family like to stay at a safehouse until semester starts?"

Danny thought that one over. He wasn't overly concerned with his own safety, but he wanted his family away from here. "Does Lord Voldy-something have any reason to go after my family?"

Dumbledore overlooked the 'Voldy-something' with a slight smile and shook his head, "No more than any other Muggle family, so long as he remains unaware that they are _your_ family."

Danny nodded slightly, "Then... I'd like them back in Amity Park as soon as possible. They'll be safer away from me. Besides, _someone_ needs to keep the ghost attacks down."

The headmaster's first impulse was to protest, as Danny was just a boy and needed help, but Danny noticed and shook his head.

"They _will_ be safer away from me, at least until psycho dude is taken down."

The 'boy' was right. It was a terrible, ugly thing, but he was right. His family would be... safer without him--and they didn't have the same protection against curses that he did.

Dumbledore relented, accepting that fact, if unhappily.

"You will need to talk to them," he cautioned.

Danny sighed, "I know."

This was one conversation he was _not_ looking forward to.

_xxxx_

_So... Suggestions? Anyone? Pretty please? I mean, I know where I'm intending to go with this, but I'm not quite sure how to _get_ there..._


	5. Of Safehouses and Strangers

_xxxx_

Once Jack had been found (lost looking for the kitchens) and Jazz had drifted back from the Library, Danny really had no way to rationalize putting this off.

"Hey, Danny," Jazz gave her brother an encouraging smile, knowing he had to be going crazy cooped up in this room—then frowned as she realized his expression was less irritated frustration than extreme apprehension. "Is something wrong?"

Danny hesitated for a moment.

"Honey? Are you feeling all right? That curse didn't hurt you, did it?"

Mothers. Always worrying. "No, no, I'm fine, really!" Danny said hastily, "It's just…" here he paused again, wondering how best to put it.

"Don't worry, son! Whatever it is, we'll take care of it for you!" Jack jumped up enthusiastically.

Danny barely refrained from slapping his forehead in exasperation, though the temptation to sink into his bed was rather strong as well. _He doesn't know what he's saying…_ "Uh… there's really no good way to say this, so… uh, you have to go back to Amity Park."

"Of course we do," Maddie agreed firmly, "We can't stay here with those evil wizards after you."

Danny winced slightly. _Somehow, I don't think she means the same thing I do…_ "I mean, you have to go _without_ me."

Pause.

"What!?"

_xxxx_

All in all, the conversation had gone better than Danny had expected. His parents didn't like it—_really_ didn't like it—but eventually they heard him out.

And disagreed. Understandably, of course, as they _were_ the parents and felt they should be taking care of the child, not the other way around. However, eventually Dumbledore stepped in and convinced the elder Fentons that their son would be safer without them, at least for the time being.

_xxxx_

"And watch out for the ghost vultures. They seem polite enough, but they're almost always out for—"

"Danny!" Jazz straitened up from her packing, cutting off her younger brother's running litany of warnings. "Calm down. Mom and Dad may not be as good as you are, but they're not _helpless._"

Danny gave a sheepish grimace, "I know, I know. It's just… if Vlad finds out I'm not around, he's really gonna go all out."

"Danny, you said we got along fine without you in that alternate future for _ten years._ I'm sure we can handle a few months."

Danny flinched at the reference, "_Amity Park_ got along fine without me," he corrected harshly. "You guys were _dead._"

The silence that followed was somewhere between pained and awkward.

"Right. I'm sorry, Danny." Jazz knew he hadn't told her the whole story and was pretty sure that he—the current him, not just the alternate—had seen them die. Even if it hadn't _happened_ happened, the experience had to be traumatizing.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The look Jazz received in return gave a very clear 'no'.

She opened her mouth to tell her little brother that repressing his emotions was bad for him, but stopped. Now probably wasn't the best time.

"Just… call me if you need anything, all right, Danny?"

Danny nodded, clear blue eyes hinting at gratitude. "Thanks, Jazz. Look after Mom and Dad for me… and remember to tell Sam and Tucker what's going on."

Jazz nodded, then giggled suddenly, earning herself an odd look.

Danny was pretty sure his sister was going crazy, and this just cemented the idea in his head.

"Sorry," Jazz got her giggles under control, "It's just… all this. Our parents are ghost hunters, _you're_ a ghost, evil mages are after you, and I'm _still_ more worried about an emotionally healthy environment!"

Danny managed a small grin, "I think they call themselves 'wizards', but face it, Jazz. Weirdness is pretty normal for us—a _normal_ day would be a _weird_ one."

_xxxx_

Once his family left, Danny couldn't stay in the school until the semester started. Hogwarts was (rightly) considered one of the safest magical places in the world, but a building of that size, even with all of the generalized protections in place, wasn't safe enough without more people in it.

A few teachers and a small army of house-elves just didn't have the same dissuading power as several hundred students, most of whom had advanced enough magical knowledge to defend themselves at least reasonably well. So, Danny was sent to the headquarters of something called "The Order of the Phoenix"—named after Dumbledore's bird, he supposed—which happened to be a _very_ creepy house that only people personally informed by Dumbledore of its existence could see.

_And if it can creep out a ghost…_ Danny shuddered as he saw house-elf heads hung along the walls of the stairwell, the thought idly crossing his mind with a kind of morbid humor. In his distraction, he brushed up against an umbrella stand, rattling a few of the items in it loudly.

Something screamed and Danny spun, shooting off a weak ecto-blast in surprise, and the scream ceased abruptly.

Danny blinked at the hole burnt in an old drape and yanked it aside, afraid he'd hit something—and saw a painting of a rather unpleasant-looking woman staring at the scorch in the corner of her canvas in total shock.

"Oops," Danny rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, giving the painting an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that…" he paused, peering at the mark. "Huh. I know I didn't put much power in it, but it should have at least made a hole…"

The creepy lady stared at him for several seconds, then fled the frame as though afraid he would try again.

"You actually _scorched_ her painting?"

Danny whirled to face the incredulous voice, wincing. "I'm sorry! She screamed and I just…" Danny trailed off, blue eyes blinking in bewilderment as he registered the scruffy-looking man's broad grin.

"Don't be!" the man reassured, "I've been trying to get her off of that wall for _months!_"

"Really? What, did someone magick her to the wall or something?"

The man grimaced, "Or something. I think 'dear old mum' put a Dark variant of a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, but I can't be sure. If we're lucky, you've scared her enough to keep her quiet for a few days."

Danny stared for a moment, then shook himself. "Uh… who are you?"

"Right! Sorry, I'm Sirius Black. Call me Sirius, please."

There was a slight cough from the doorway off to the side.

"And this in Nymphadora Tonks."

"Tonks, please." Pink hair and eyebrows were almost as striking as the half-smile, half-grimace the woman sported.

Danny gave a grin, recognizing the tone he used whenever someone called him 'Daniel'. "Danny Fenton. Dumbledore said this was some kind of safe house?"

"Ah," Tonks nodded as though some great mystery had been made clear to her, "The kid wanted by the Death Eaters, huh?"

Danny shrugged, "Creepy guys, black robes, white masks, follow a genocidal maniac?"

A pink eyebrow quirked slightly. "That would be them, yes."

"Never heard of 'em."

Sirius cracked a grin, "Right."

"I _hadn't!_" Danny defended. "Not until what's-his-name with the crazy eye showed up. Al-something Moody."

"Alastor," Tonks provided with a smile, "Most people call him 'Mad-Eye'."

Danny tried unsuccessfully to stifle a snicker. "At least it's better that 'Voldemort'."

Though the somewhat clumsy Auror and falsely accused fugitive were not amongst those who flinched at the sound of that name, they were unaccustomed to hearing it _snickered._ Like the kid thought it was utterly ridiculous.

Danny noticed the looks and was immediately struck by how funny it was that everyone around here was terrified of a stupid name like that, which only increased his sniggering. "I'm sorry," he managed, not sounding sorry at all, "But who willingly calls himself _Voldemort?_ Even _Plasmius_ is better than that!"

The silence shifted from shocked to slightly awkward. "Well," Sirius thought that one over, "When you put it like _that…_" Then he registered the other half of the comment.

"You know someone who calls himself _Plasmius?_"

_xxxx_

_I know the ending is a bit awkward ,and this is the shortest chapter in this story thus far, but I tried several and all of them… dragged a bit. This was the lesser evil. Anyway, I'm just wanting everyone to know that, despite long periods of time betwixt updates, I have _not_ abandoned this story. It was trapped on another computer, so I had to retype what I had, and I'm afraid I don't have more than this. I will not, however, abandon it. I do not promise frequent or even regular updates, but I do promise that this story will be finished someday. I was actually just going to make this a strait Author's Note, but then when I swap out for a chapter, it doesn't register as an update, so I figured I should give you what I have, even if it isn't much._


	6. Danny and Doxies

_Blah Blah Blah: I'm glad I can amuse you. (And I LIKE physics…)_

_Quacked Lurker: What are you doing not signing in and asking questions? Ordinarily I'd just hit the 'review reply' button… Anyway, ghosts are still 'someones', just try to tell Nick otherwise! I'm also having Sirius be a bit lenient—he's essentially under house arrest; right now he's just glad for a break in the monotony. He'll get over it and start questioning a bit more soon enough. As for when Harry and the gang show… not sure. Harry shows last, anyway, and this chapter sort-of took off without my consent, so I had to tag along behind wondering why it had wandered off without me._

_Oh, right. Descriptions and little quotes you can borrow, just not plotlines and main ideas._

_xxxx_

The next day found Danny curled up on a couch in a dusty, unused room, which didn't bother him—though it certainly bothered the shape-shifting woman who was supposed to be looking after him.

"Danny! What are you _doing?_" Tonks half-yelped, half-shrieked when she finally found him in the darkish upstairs room. "There are doxies in there!"

He blinked, lowering the book on curses that he'd found to look at the suddenly white-haired woman. "Doxies?" he asked, momentarily puzzled before he realized what she must be talking about. "Oh! You mean these little guys?" he held up a black-furred little creature with multiple limbs—four arms and four legs—and shiny black beetle-wing casings over its delicate flying wings. It bared sharp fangs in something that was about equal parts smile and snarl.

Tonks' eyes widened, "Danny! Put it down! Those things are poisonous!"

"Really?" blue eyes turned on the doxy in his hand before he raised the other to pet the little creature's head.

It closed its mouth and squinted its yellow eyes in obvious pleasure, making a sound very much like a purr.

"I kinda like 'em."

Tonks seemed rather taken aback by that—or possibly the fact that another doxy had just poked its head up from Danny's hair and chittered at her before curling up and petting the boy's forehead. Doxies were notably aggressive little beasts, not nearly as agreeable as Cornish Pixies—which were among the most _disagreeable_ fairy-like creatures in the wizarding world. The fact that the doxies had obviously taken a liking to the American kid was a bit odd, to say the least.

"Be careful!" Tonks managed after a few moments, "They're dangerous."

"Well, yeah, some of them. But these three like me," he smiled as said third beastie peeked bright purple eyes over his shoulder to look at Tonks before ducking back behind him with a terrified squeak.

She cringed, "Did any of them bite you?"

Danny shrugged, "A couple tried. But they didn't seem to like it very much and the rest left me alone afterwards—except these three."

"Tried?" Tonks asked before she could stop herself. She didn't want to know, she was sure of that.

Danny winced a bit, "I sort-of… fried them. But I didn't _mean_ to!" he added defensively as white hair bled purple.

Tonks considered all the many things she could say to that and decided to pretend she hadn't heard. "Well, anyway, it's time for lunch, Danny. Why don't you come down."

Danny slid a scrap of parchment between the pages of his book and snapped it shut with a small puff of dust, "Sure."

_xxxx_

Danny followed Tonks downstairs and headed to the kitchen as she broke off to go into the sitting room. He ducked in the doorway and started as he nearly ran into someone coming out—Sirius. Only Danny's surprised flash into intangibility saved them from a collision and his left arm and shoulder phased through the startled man.

Danny froze.

Sirius blinked, shook his head, and reached out to tap Danny's now-solid shoulder. "All right, that was weird."

Danny had to agree—it wasn't often that he phased through living things, and less so that he did it by accident. He supposed his powers hadn't settled back under complete control, yet… which might explain the doxies he'd fried when they tried to bite him.

"Just a little," Danny shook himself, "Have you already eaten?"

Sirius shook his head, lips quirking into a grin, "I was just going to look for you—Tonks said she'd send you down, but it'd been about fifteen minutes—where were…" the man trailed off, staring at Danny in something like shock.

Danny suddenly felt uneasy. It was clear enough that Sirius had decided the impression of Danny going through him had been just that—a strange twist of perception, not an actual happening. But if he'd started to go invisible or something…

"Danny," Sirius said carefully, eyes fixed on the boy's hair, "You have a doxy on your head."

Danny relaxed and shrugged, "Yeah, so?"

"Doxies are poisonous," Sirius informed, clearly a bit uneasy.

"Yes, Tonks told me." Danny reached up and carefully felt his hair until four little hands clasped around his finger and gently lifted the little creature off his head. Bright orange eyes blinked at him and the creature bared sharp fangs in a happy smile while it kicked its four legs cheerfully. "Hi, Fuzzy," he greeted, "Why are you so obsessed with my hair?"

The doxy chittered for several seconds before buzzing its wings and returning to the top of Danny's head, burrowing into his hair contentedly.

Danny sighed and shrugged at Sirius' disbelieving stare, "What? He likes me. Or, at least, he likes my hair. Can we eat or what?"

Lunch was a quiet affair, punctuated by the slight disturbance of Danny's doxies climbing from their hiding places in clothes and hair to inspect his roast-beef sandwich, which he responded to by giving each of them a third of a slice.

Danny had just gotten up to take his plate to the sink while his doxies were quietly squabbling over the last bits of his sandwich when there was a distinctly loud clatter in the sitting room, followed by Tonks' apologizing and a silkily annoyed voice he didn't recognize. Curious, Danny shot a glance at a clearly disgruntled Sirius before wandering out to see who was there.

He paused, a strangely familiar chill tingling through his nerves, like but not like a weak ghost nearby.

_xxxx_

Severus Snape strode out of the fireplace of Grimmauld Place holding a carefully bottled dose of Wolfsbane for the Order's Werewolf. He was by no means _fond_ of Remus Lupin and the man's notable absence from the room Snape had just Flooed into only irritated him more.

A certain clumsy Auror's collision with the low table upon which he had _just_ set the bottle down irritated him more.

The bottle clattered to the floor and a pink-haired Tonks started babbling apologies as Snape swiftly bent to right it, not immediately seeing any damage.

That didn't stop him from berating the woman for her clumsiness—how on earth had she managed to pass the Auror's Exams with no sense of balance? He asked as much, though the wording was a shade more cutting as most of his attention remained on the clearish glass, checking for any cracks or chips.

None. The bottle was whole and undamaged—enough to make him content to ignore the annoying woman while he waited for the werewolf to show up for his monthly medication. His eyes swept the room for the second time since he'd arrived, a habitual check for any threats or information. None, though the Metamorphagus was fleeing with little regard to dignity.

Not that Andromeda Tonks ever had much regard for dignity, come to think of it.

Snape's eyes followed her as she made her way out the doorway and landed on a boy that, if not for the hairstyle and sky-blue eyes, he might have thought was Potter.

"You were there," Blue eyes were narrowed dangerously, flickering briefly to a glowing green that made Potter's emerald look dull.

"I beg your pardon?" Snape was sure he didn't know what that wisp of a boy was talking about.

"At the graveyard."

Merlin help him—this was the boy that Voldemort was after for his immunity to the Killing Curse. How had he known? Snape was sure that the boy hadn't seen him, and even if he had, he'd been wearing Death Eater robes and mask, and he'd never spoken, not even for a spell. He opened his mouth with the intent to refute the claim in some suitably scathing manner when the boy took a step forward.

Snape felt the oddest urge to laugh—the whelp was all but accusing him of being a _Death Eater_, one of the feared followers of the Dark Lord, and coming _towards_ him. Then it occurred to him that the boy really had nothing to worry about from a single Death Eater after having taken on nearly all of the Dark Lord's inner circle and surviving. The words that slipped out of his mouth came completely without his consent.

"How do you know?"

"You feel the same," blue eyes slid over him, searching, and settled their gaze on his hidden Dark Mark. "It's coming from your arm, mostly, but it sort of spreads out from there…" the boy trailed off, seemingly uncertain.

Snape wasn't sure what to say to that. The very thought that someone else could feel his Dark Mark was disturbing on levels he wasn't sure he wanted to explore. In order for it to be felt like that… there was no way it was simply a _Protean-_imbued tattoo. On the one hand, it made him extremely uncomfortable, but on the other… well. If the boy was capable of _feeling_ the Dark Mark without ever having to visually check if it was there, it was quite possible he could be of help to the Order in rooting out Death Eaters.

"I see," he remarked dryly. "And you, naturally, are suspicious of this… 'feeling'."

Blue sparked green for a breath, "Naturally," the boy tossed back at him, echoing his own derisive tone.

Almost impressive.

"Not that anyone your age should be prying into these matters," Snape sneered, "but it is required of me to find out first-hand information on the Dark Lords movements and intentions."

"Wow. I wish I had someone like you to keep tabs on _Vlad…_" it was a mutter he was relatively certain the boy had not expected him to hear. He raised his voice, "Ok, so you spy on Voldy—I have a question. Does he want to kill me or have me as a minion?"

Snape blinked. Well, the boy caught on quickly, that much was certain. "I believe he wishes to find the source of your apparent immortality."

"The Killing Curse thing? So not my fault," the boy actually sounded like he was _complaining._ "Well, at least there haven't been any threats for killing me and placing my pelt at the foot of his bed…"

Snape felt an eyebrow raise—from the tone, someone really had threatened that before. "Do people often threaten to kill you?"

"Well, not kill _per say…_ Skulker just wants my hide for a throw rug and my head for a wall hanging, which sort of amounts to the same thing. But that's just Skulker."

_Skulker?_ It sounded as this boy had some interesting acquaintances. "What of this 'Vlad' you mentioned earlier, boy?"

"You heard that?"

Snape raised an eyebrow and folded his arms deliberately.

"You're a teacher, aren't you?" the boy's tone was downright _accusing._

Snape waited, privately impressed that the boy came up with the 'teacher' occupation with no obvious hints. Come to think of it, where _had_ he gotten that idea?

"Well?" A hint of demand that reminded him of Potter for some reason.

"Yes," Snape admitted, "I teach Potions at Hogwarts." Not that it was a great admission, as the boy would likely find out shortly at any rate. Really, it was nothing compared to the admission that he dared to spy on the Dark Lord.

"Huh," the boy shook his head, just a bit. "Right. I'm Danny Fenton. You're Professor Snape, whom Sirius calls something I think I'd be safer not repeating…"

Snape blinked at the mutter following, which sounded like 'take that, Lancer—proper pronouns!', and dismissed it as irrelevant, if he'd even heard correctly. "Very well, then, _Fenton,_" he emphasized the boy's name almost mockingly, "Who is this 'Vlad' character you mentioned earlier?"

The boy gave an offhand shrug, "Oh, just another evil megalomaniac fruitloop bent on world domination. Well, all right, maybe not _world_ domination… no, wait. I take that back. World domination is fourth on his list, right before buying the Packers."

He was not going to ask. Although… "What does he want from you?"

"Uh, well… He wants to kill my dad, marry my mom, and turn me into his evil minion/son thing so that we can take over the world and he'll finally be able to get his hands on the Packers."

That was ridiculous. Completely, utterly ridiculous. Presuming the Packers were some sort of Muggle sports team, it was even _more _ludicrous.

"Yeah, there's a reason we call him a seriously crazed-up fruitloop. There's only one problem: he's cunning enough that he's actually come pretty close to the 'killing my dad' part more than once—and he's more powerful _and_ has more experience than I do, so if he ever decides to try and take over the world without having crossed the first three off his list first…"

There were others with magic like this boy's?

Snape's gaze sharpened as he asked as much.

"Uhh…" the boy seemed rather put off by the question before he flushed. "I don't _have_ magic."

_xxxx_


	7. Evasions

Evasions

Severus Snape could think of very few times in which his logic failed him. Most of those times had involved complex charms beyond his realm of study, and so it was not logic but the knowledge on which to base it that had failed.

This though, was outside his ability to reason. He's _seen_ the boy cast a shield, not to mention balls of energy and an invisibility charm—and that strange color-reversal and glowing. That was magic. It had to be. And yet the boy was denying it.

"Then how, precisely, did you do those things in the graveyard?" he asked, a trace of sardonic disbelief in his voice.

The boy winced a bit, "That's, uh… classified?"

"So is the fact that I'm a spy, but that hasn't prevented me from informing you."

Eyes flashed green, and Snape felt a chill in his soul. His sarcasm evaporated as he shifted minutely back, away from those glowing orbs.

A blink and eyes were back to a calm sky-blue. "Sorry. My powers are still a bit out of whack from that second Killing Curse. I'm gonna have to find a place to practice for a while…"

"There are many unused rooms in this… house," Snape said the last word with a distinct air of distaste, deliberately ignoring the part of his mind that was still boggling over 'second Killing Curse'.

"Uh, no. I mean, sure, for the basics—invisibility, intangibility, _maybe_ flight if I'm careful—but, well… I don't think they'd like it if I brought the house down."

_Brought the _house_ down?_ Just what kind of powers did the boy have? Those blasts of energy hadn't seemed _that_ destructive…

"I should probably test out the Wail, but the only place to try _that_ is in that forest outside that crazy school, and even then it might be too dangerous… Hey, maybe Clockwork would know somewhere in the Ghost Zone."

Severus was getting confused. Though the boy was talking, it seemed as though he were merely thinking aloud rather than actually speaking _to_ anyone.

"I _think_ my ice powers are OK, but I could always see Frostbite about that, anyway, and Wulf can help me with the portal-thing…" finally the boy's voice trailed off into a mutter that Snape had trouble deciphering, even if it had made any sense to begin with.

Before he could formulate a question, the fire flared green and Lupin tumbled out, looking sooty and harried.

_xxxx_

Danny had spun on instinct when there was a flare of heat in the part of him he usually associated with his ghost sense –but the heat died as quickly as it had come, leaving behind a green flame and a disheveled… something. The man _looked_ human, but…

"What _are_ you?"

"Pardon?" the man's tired brown eyes widened as his head swiveled around to meet Danny's green-flecked gaze.

"Sorry," Danny rubbed the back of his head, tugging the swirl of power deeper inside, feeling the green leave his eyes. "I just—you feel—different. Not like most people." There was something in that man, something angry and out-of-control. Caged, but there.

"Anyway, I'm Danny Fenton."

"Er… Remus Lupin."

"Cool. Hey, I've gotta go make sure my doxies aren't causing any trouble…"

For a moment, Snape was irritated with how they boy slipped away before explaining _anything._ Then he registered the comment as Lupin repeated it aloud.

"His _doxies?_"

_xxxx_

Danny spent the rest of the week avoiding Snape on general principal. It actually became a bit of a game for him, as his entertainment options were few and far between with only Sirius actually living in the house and occasionally one other member of this 'Order of the Phoenix' staying for a few hours.

Tonks was by far his favorite. She was fun, if a bit of a klutz, and reminded him a bit of Tucker in her sense of humor. (Well, that and lack of grace.) Not to mention that she'd started helping him train his doxies. Still, creepy as the house was, it was getting very boring with so little to do—Danny had even gotten acquainted with the joys of _reading_,and spent most of his time holed up in 'his' dusty upstairs sitting room, reading various Wizard tomes.

Then the redheads came.

Danny was oblivious to the initial influx, as he was curled up on a no-longer-dusty couch, completely engrossed in a book of Wizard fairy-tales. His doxies were happily settled around him as he read stories to them and occasionally had to shoo them off the pages so he could continue on.

It wasn't until his yellow-eyed doxy, Squeak, tugged at his sleeve and made its 'hungry sound' that he even thought to go downstairs.

Fuzzy and Zip (the purple-eyed doxy), both began clamoring as well, so Danny grinned and slipped a bookmark between the pages of the old leather-bound volume. "All right, all right, guys. Food it is."

He stood, the doxies happily buzzing ahead before darting back again, trying to get him to speed up.

Danny laughed and followed, opening the door to the hall and trailing after the three as they zipped towards the stairs.

It wasn't until he was nearly at the ground floor that the three came back from one of their little races cheeping in alarm, scrambling into their usual hiding places (hair, shoulder, and pocket), with a jet of purplish light splashing against the corner in their wake.

"Hey!" Danny snapped, thinking it was just another member of the Order-thingy taking potshots at his doxies—though Snape had used a pale blue light that had rendered Zip temporarily immobile. "Leave them alone!" he stormed into the hall, eyes snapping with green sparks, and stopped dead, baffled.

Redheads. Lots of redheads. All in the living room with the fireplace, one half bent-over picking up a large suitcase and the others in various stages of retrieving luggage, save for one woman who was still holding her wand.

Zip ducked back behind Danny's shoulder at the sight of her and Fuzzy chittered angrily from his hair, Squeak peeping from his pocket.

It was the woman who broke the semi-stunned silence. "Oh, my. You must be Danny. I'm sorry—they said that you had doxies, but I completely forgot."

Danny blinked, eyes still glowing, "Um. Hi. And you are…?"

_xxxx_

Danny tried to pay attention for the introductions, he really did, but all he could think about was getting out of the room. He'd gotten used to the varying 'hums' of the other occasional visiting wizards' (and witches') magic, though it had taken him several days to realize what he was feeling. But he'd never been around so many at once—there were six of the redheads in a relatively small space.

It was like… like listening to someone hitting a piano keyboard, a discordant 'clang' on his senses.

Only continuous.

Danny shook his head, refocusing on the twins—Fred and George—as the father introduced them, wariness in his stance.

Wariness?

Oh. Danny tried to reign in his powers as he realized his eyes were glowing again. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "Wasn't paying attention. My eyes do that, sometimes."

"The glowey thing?" a familiar voice asked from behind him, and Danny blinked, surprised that he hadn't noticed Sirius' aura coming up behind him.

Now that he thought about it, the 'clang' was a tiny bit different, and if he concentrated, he could pick out the man's 'hum'.

So maybe it wouldn't be as nice an ability as he'd first thought. It was already starting to give him a headache.

"Yeah," Danny said in a belated response to Sirius' question. "I'm still a bit out-of-whack."

"Err… right. I'll just get the Weasleys settled, then…"

Danny breathed a silent sigh of relief before all but bolting, wanting to get away from the discordance against his senses. He'd have to see Clockwork about it.

_xxxx_

Danny got back from seeing the Master of Time and collapsed into bed with a groan. While Clockwork _had_ explained what was causing the discomfort—something about sensing auras and being too 'open'—his instructions on how to _stop_ the unpleasant sensation involved forcibly waking up another power.

Then learning to control it. While Danny had, with Clockwork's help, unlocked the Mental Shielding or whatever it was called, he hadn't come _close_ to controlling it.

And he was _exhausted._ Within moments of closing his eyes, Danny was asleep, blissfully unaware of the chaos his several hour long disappearance had wrought.

_xxxx_

Danny woke to barking—familiar barking. Deep and more than a little threatening, it sounded like Cujo… in his big and hostile mode.

He was downstairs in the time it took to blink, throwing up a shield even as he teleported in front of the ghost dog—currently resembling a large Rottweiler, except for the 'green' and 'glowing' parts. "Cujo, sit!" he said firmly even as several jets of light splatted harmlessly against the absorbent shield.

The giant dog did as he was told without hesitation, wagging his tail.

Wands were lowered as Mr. Weasely and Sirius stared at the shield and Danny set about calming Cujo all the way.

"It's OK, boy, they just didn't expect you. What've you got, there?" Danny asked, eyeing the spiked ghost-leather-and-steel collar that had a cylindrical container clipped to it. Which explained why Cujo was in his adult mode—that thing would have been nearly as big as puppy-Cujo.

Cujo barked, wagging his tail.

Danny blinked and unclipped it, a slightly disbelieving look on his face, "Jazz's having you bring me _homework?_" he asked incredulously, unscrewing the cap and dumping rolled papers into his hand.

"Um… are there books that go with this?"

Cujo barked happily and Danny sighed, "Well, that's good. I guess I'll see you again tomorrow, huh? Bring your squeaky and we'll play fetch."

The dog shrank down into a puppy, barking happily, before turning and 'digging' back to the Ghost Zone.

It was only then that Danny registered that the two adults were still staring.

"Um, sorry. That was Cujo. He's a ghost—he used to be a guard dog. He's a good dog, really."

The stares merely continued after the babbled explanation and Danny knew he wasn't getting off quite that easily.

_xxxx_


End file.
